News Bambu Lab removes third-party app support for P and A series 3D printers

[Admin]

Bambu Lab has released firmware for its P and A series 3D printers that removes support for the installation of third-party apps.

Bambu Lab removes third-party app support for P and A series 3D printers : Read more

 

[edzieba]

This is... not really correct.

Previously:, your options for printing were:
- Install the proprietary (and closed source) Bambu Network Connect plugin and print via Bambu's cloud services. BNC sits within a tab in the slicer. Can be used with Bambu Studio (open source), Orca Slicer (based on Bambu Studio) and other slicers that implement BNC, but not slicers that do not implement it.
- Install the proprietary (and closed source) Bambu Network Connect plugin and print locally using LAN mode. BNC sits within a tab in the slicer. Can be used with Bambu Studio (open source), Orca Slicer (based on Bambu Studio) and other slicers that implement BNC, but not slicers that do not implement it.
- Copy sliced GCode to an SD card and move it to the printer.

With the new firmware:
- Install the proprietary (and closed source) Bambu Network Connect plugin and print via Bambu's cloud services. BNC sits within a tab in the slicer. Can be used with Bambu Studio only.
- Install the proprietary (and closed source) Bambu Connect software and print via Bambu's cloud services. Bambu Connect sits within its own window. Can be used with any slicer, even those that did not previously implement the BNC plugin (you can even hand0write GCode if you want, AKA Fullcontrol).
- Install the old proprietary (and closed source) Bambu Network Connect plugin and print locally using Developer Mode. BNC sits within a tab in the slicer. Can be used with Bambu Studio (open source), Orca Slicer (based on Bambu Studio) and other slicers that implement BNC, but not slicers that do not implement it.
- Copy sliced GCode to an SD card and move it to the printer.

The mention of Octoprint is particularly ironic: you can't use Octoprint with Bambu printers, and never have, because Octoprint relies on streaming raw GCode to the printer board and that's now hot the Bambu printers have been implemented (think of it as the printer having its own GCode psotprocesser). But, the way Octoprint works with other printers - the slicer outputs GCode which you then send to Octoprint to print - is how Bambu Connect now works: you slice with a slider, then print that GCode with Bambu Connect.


In practice, the new firmware adds an additional double-click to the printing process. Instead of pressing "print" in the slicer, you now press "generate GCode" in the slicer, then double-click that GCode file to send it to Bambu Connect.


Where it gets more complicated is with MQTT access: previously, MQTT could be used by any service with the printer logon details (the printer name and password generated internally and shown on the printer UI) to both read printer status and to command the printer. This has now changed: in Developer Mode (the old LAN mode) you retain full MQTT control as before. But outside of that, MQTT is still available but is read only: you can monitor printer status, but you can't drive the head around or command the head or bed to heat up.

What this means for the end user:
- If you use Bambu Slicer and Bambu Handy, this is also a nonissue, you will not have any change in workflow.
- If you never used Bambu Handy (the mobile app) and never used the cloud service, then the move from LAN mode to Developer Mode is a complete nonissue, you lose nothing, regardless of what slicer you use.
- If you never used Bambu Handy (the mobile app) and never used the cloud service, and use HomeAssistant or some other MQTT service to monitor the printer only, then the move from LAN mode to Developer Mode is a complete nonissue, you lose nothing, regardless of what slicer you use.
- If you never used Bambu Handy (the mobile app) and never used the cloud service, and use HomeAssistant or some other MQTT service to command the printer, then the move from LAN mode to Developer Mode is a complete nonissue, you lose nothing, regardless of what slicer you use.
- If you do Bambu Handy (the mobile app), and use the cloud service, and use HomeAssistant or some other MQTT service to command the printer, then you will have a choice to make: switch to Developer Mode and lose Bambu Handy (but retain everything else as currently) or lose MQTT commanding and have 3rd party slicer use be slightly less elegant but retain Bambu Handy use.

tl;dr You can use the cloud service and all its convenience, or you can use random slicers and MQTT commanding, but you can no longer have both simultaneously.

 

[purposelycryptic]

This kind of thing is why I stay away from Bambu Lab, despite their great hardware - I don't need walled gardens in my DIY hardware.